The Keeper
by CoffeePrince22
Summary: Join Naruko as she figures out her place in the Shinobi world.


Being cold was not anything new to the girl, it was a familiar friend. She was hiding in between two buildings in the red light district, listening for the sounds of footsteps. She was scared, tears ran down her face as she covered her mouth with her hands so she wouldn't make a sound. A few of the town's people was looking for her. They never treated her nice but there was something about this day that cause the villagers to seek her out more each year. The sky broke loose and rain started to pour down more on the girl, making her colder. She started to shake from the cold and the fear but she couldn't move. She knew what it would mean if they got ahold of her. Lighting shoot across the sky, lighting up the dark alley, she picked up the sound of footsteps coming toward her. The got louder and louder, she started to shake more. She knew she needed to run. She worked up the courage to stand slowly making herself put one foot in front of the other before sprinting off in a mad dash toward the other end of the alley. She ran as fast as her little legs could take her closing her eyes she prayed that they wouldn't find her. She rounded the alley looking behind her to see if she could she them when she ran into a hard object. She fell backwards into the cold ground. Her worst fears was staring at her. They had found her. She tries to get up to run again but it's to late one of them gets her by her hair pulling her close. She shuts her eyes waiting for the impact, it was a hard hit harder then any child her age should ever feel. She shuts down into her mind, it was safe in there. It would be over soon and maybe she'll get lucky this time, maybe this time she'll stay inside her head.

Naruko didn't know how long she was in the alley as the sunlight coming up over the horizon brought her back to life. She hurt all over, she could see blood out of the corner of her eye. Her head was killing her. It hurt to move, trying to stand up made her cry out in pain. Tears was starting to form in her eyes. She needed to get home. Home was safe for the most part, she needed to move. She got into her feet, each step more painful then the last. At lease it was over this year. The town's people should go back to the normal behaviors after this. At lease it was over, she kept telling herself.

She could see the blood from her head running down into her shirt, she just stared at it for a minute watching as it dripped. She hadn't realize she had stop walking, she was to busy looking at the blood. She didn't know if she could do this anymore. When, when was it all going to stop. Could she live her life like this for the rest of her life. She stared harder at the blood trying to will herself to feel something. She could only feel the emptiness, the pain of it all. What had she done to have people treat her the way they do? How could she fix it if no one would tell her. Tears threaten to come again as she gripped ahold of her shirt. She put her arms around herself as the tears fell. "What can I do? I'm sorry for whatever it is I did." She said to herself holding herself harder.

The sounds of birds singing caught her attention, she rubbed her eyes she needed to get home before anyone could see her. She move as fast as she could toward the outskirts of the red light district.

Her home was on the top floor of an old building that was falling apart. The plumbing was horrible and she very rarely had hot water. The heat was shot and the building was poorly insulated during the winter she would have to put on extra clothes and bundle up in blankets to keep warm.

She looked up at the old building dreading all the steps she was going to have to climb. Her body hurt and each step was going to cause more pain. She took a deep breath and started to climb the steps, with each step she could feel something pulling in her knee. "I can do this, just a few more." She kept telling herself as the pulled herself up the steps with the rail. When she made it to the last step she let out a sigh in relief. She slowly made her way to her door, searching for her keys in her pouch. She fumbles with the keys causing them to fall onto the ground. She just stares at them knowing it was going to hurt to bend down to get them. She let out a breath and slowly bends to pick up her keys. The pain from her back causes her to cry out a little. She's so close to her bed. So so very close. She finally reaches down far enough to pick them up. She goes to straighten back up it was as painfully as bending down was. "Damn it." She said to herself as tears started to form in her eyes again. She puts the key in the lock opening up to a small apartment with one large room and a bathroom. Her floors was littered with newspapers and takeout menus, her small table she had old ramen cups on it. Her bed was a mess and most of the blankets was on the floor. She slowly walks to her bed, carefully lying herself down onto her stomach. Finally, she thinks. She turns her head to look at the gray wallpaper that was coming off the wall. She stares at it as she listen to the neighbors fighting again. The sound was almost comforting for her, she slowly fades into a sleep. Yes, she just needed to sleep.

It was dark outside when she woke up. Her body was still sore but she was able to move more freely. She walked to her cabinets to grab a cup of ramen to find that there wasn't any. "That's why you went out yesterday, dummy." She said to herself. She looked down at her blood stain clothes and decide to take a shower instead. She walk the short distance to the bathroom, she avoided the mirror, she didn't want to know what she looked like. Taking off her clothes caused her some pain, her shoulders ached. She looked at her clothes, could she save them? With all the stains she wasn't sure if she could, she throw them into her dirty laundry basket for later. She didn't wait to see if the water would get warm there wasn't really a point too. The cold water did feel good on her hot skin, it was helping her achy muscles.

After the shower she sit on her bed looking down at the newspapers and takeout menus. She grabbed one looking at it. "Mi- Miso Ra- Ramen." she sounded out to herself. She continue trying to read off the menu slowly sounding out each word. She knew if she didn't learn to read better she was going to fall even further behind in school. She couldn't have that. She had to become a Shinobi, she had no choice. What else could she do? She sit there for several hours practicing over and over again.

She could see the sun coming up from her window. She sigh throwing a newspaper back onto the floor. It was time for her to head to the academy.


End file.
